


Custody Agreement

by AlexiaBlackbriar13, bushlaboo



Series: Man's Best Friend [11]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Bonding, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Oliver Queen Has PTSD, Oliver gets a service dog, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Service Dogs, Social Anxiety, mental breakdowns, season 1 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 02:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9413450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/AlexiaBlackbriar13, https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushlaboo/pseuds/bushlaboo
Summary: Hunter, Felicity, Thea, Tommy, Diggle, Moira, Walter...There were so many people in Oliver's life nowadays desperate to spend time with him. But the archer always ended up splitting his time unevenly, Hunter and Felicity getting most of his attention. Outraged at the unfairness of it all, his friends and family come up with an agreement of sorts.The outcome and side effects of this, however, were not positive. Especially for Oliver's teetering mental health.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was Marian and I's little mini fic chess thing within the comments of Brothers in Life :) Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> This is set late season 1, in an AU where Felicity and Oliver are together, and Walter is fine and NOT kidnapped (This will be addressed in other oneshots in the verse).

* * *

"He's MY brother, Tommy. I don't need to fight you or anyone else – and certainly not Hunter - for him."

Tommy had to fight back the smile that threatened to take over take his face. Thea's annoyance was palpable and he'd learnt the hard way that, although tiny, the youngest Queen was fierce. And honestly, he got it; before the Gambit sank, Thea never really had to share her brother. If she’d asked Oliver pretty much had always immediately dropped whatever he was doing to be there for her. Usually Tommy had been in tow, unless a naked girl or two was involved. In the past it had been the three of them, he and Oliver playing knight to their fairy princess, but none of them were that young, carefree or innocent anymore.

Whilst that hurt, especially when it came to Thea, it was a fact of life. They'd grown up and perhaps their relationship would have matured earlier along those lines if they hadn't been separated. There was no way to know, but the thread of how things used to be was still there, woven between them, so the young Merlyn couldn't stop himself from teasing the teenaged girl, who felt like his sister as much as Ollie did his brother.

"I don't know about that, Speedy." Tommy drew out the 'ē' sound of her nickname, mostly because he knew Thea loved to pretend to hate it. "Ollie's been my best friend longer than he's been your brother."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "Watch it, Merlyn," she ordered, her voice playfully sharp as she jabbed a finger into his chest. "I know things the gossip columns would be thrilled to print."

"As do I, Miss Queen," he countered, finally letting his suppressed smile spread across his face. "Fight dirty if need be, but you're still going to have to fight me for him."

"You're impossible," Thea huffed, throwing up her arms. "You're both impossible. I don't know why I put up with either of you."

“Pot. Kettle," he replied gleefully, before placing a quick kiss on her temple. "Let me know when you're ready to battle."

"I never let my enemy see me coming," Thea sing-songed at him, her eyes dancing mischievously, before she winked and turned on her heel to leave him standing alone in the hallway. Tommy blew out an oddly shaky breath and thought to himself that Thea Queen had learned a little too well how to come off scary.

Just as Thea vanished completely from view, the front door to the mansion opened, revealing Oliver and Felicity, holding hands as they chatted quietly. Hunter was trotting on Oliver's other side, brushing up against his master's legs as much as possible. The service dog came to a halt as he spotted Tommy standing in the hallway, still and staring.

 _My rival for my human's time_ , Hunter seemed to acknowledge, ears going flat against his skull in distaste, immediately pressing into Oliver's legs with even more force.

"Hey, Oliver!" Tommy greeted his best friend enthusiastically. He gave his best friend's girlfriend an awkward wave, saying, "Hi, Felicity," and wincing when his tone came out a little flat.

It wasn't that he didn't like Felicity. Felicity Meghan Smoak had dropped into Oliver's life rather unexpectedly, a ray of sunshine that seemed to magically raise the man from his depression, glowing down on him and lifting all the weight from Oliver's shoulders. His best friend was happier, lighter, less serious and less cold with Felicity around. Tommy liked the person Oliver had become since getting together in a relationship with the blonde IT girl. So, he didn't NOT like her.

It was just that she was also a rival for Oliver's time.

Tommy already had Hunter and Thea to compete with. Thea was scary as heck, and he knew that he had to give in and give the youngest Queen sibling time with her brother, or she'd retaliate in a way that would ruin Tommy's reputation with the media completely. She was a murder kitten, not to be trifled with. Hunter could be fierce and dangerous when it came down for it - he'd already proved to everybody that he was willing to rip somebody's throat out if it came to protecting Oliver, and he was massively possessive over his charge. Tommy did _not_ want to get into a fight with the German Shepherd-husky mix ex-military dog.

Felicity Smoak, however, could utterly destroy his entire life if he got in her way. She was a tech genius - she could tank his bank accounts and credit score within a minute, and delete him from existence. She could get him arrested within a day. Getting on her bad side was practically signing his own death warrant.

"Hi," Oliver smiled back. "Didn't know you were gonna be visiting."

"I was just wondering whether you wanted to go to lunch with me."

"Oh, sorry," Oliver apologised. "I promised Felicity I'd go to lunch with her and then Diggle and I are taking Hunter to the dog park."

Dammit. Now Diggle was competing for Oliver's time too? The bodyguard was built like a tank. Tommy couldn't battle with him.

"Oh, well, do you want to go out for dinner then?" he offered weakly.

Oliver grimaced. "I was, uh, planning on staying in... I'll probably be tired after lunch and the park and I don't..."

His social anxiety. Right. He couldn't stress himself out too much. And Tommy wasn't going to be that awful best friend that forced Oliver to spend time with him that would cause him to become even more anxious. "Oh. Okay. That's fine. Maybe tomorrow?"

"... I'm having brunch with Mom and then I'm going to dinner with Thea tomorrow."

Tommy grew desperate. "Okay, the day after tomorrow?"

Frowning, Oliver shot a confused look towards Felicity, who shrugged innocently. Tommy narrowed his eyes at her. The blonde knew perfectly well what he was talking about, SHE was the main culprit for taking up his best friend's time - Oliver was starting to stay over at her apartment with Hunter more and more, and their weekly coffee dates were turning daily.

"Yeah, sure," Oliver replied slowly. "The day after tomorrow."

"Great," Tommy bobbed his head up and down in a nod.

Oliver shot him a weird look. "Oh... kay. I need to feed Hunter - Felicity, do you -"

"It's fine, hun," Felicity assured. Her blue eyes flashed over to Tommy's, and there was a calculating glint within them that slightly riled him up. "I need to talk to Tommy anyway."

Pausing nervously, Oliver questioned, "Um... about what?"

"Don't worry," the blonde soothed, rubbing the underside of his wrist with her thumb. Tommy seethed as Oliver seemed to calm, smiling widely at her, growing all dopey and soppy like he always did around the blonde, that always resulted in him spending even MORE time with her, and less time with his best friend.

Oliver nodded with a shy grin and then departed, Hunter at his heels, murmuring a quick goodbye to Tommy. As the man and dog departed, the service dog looked back briefly, pinning both Felicity and Tommy with a look that just screamed, _Back off, my human_ , before he turned away and followed his master off, tail held high and his trot smug.

Tommy wheeled back around to glare at Felicity. "I thought we agreed that today was going to be MY day with him," he hissed.

"Oliver asked ME out on a date," Felicity responded sharply. "What was I supposed to do, turn him down and say that no, I can't, because I negotiated with your best friend that he could have you today?"

"He was meant to be _mine_ today," Tommy growled.

"Oh, grow up," Felicity snapped. "You can have him the day after tomorrow, you heard Oliver."

"No I can't, because that's Thea's day! When's your next day?"

"Saturday, and we're not swapping, because Oliver promised he was gonna take me to see that new Disney movie and then we're going out for dinner."

"My next day isn't until next Tuesday!" Tommy whined.

Felicity threw her hands into the air. "Negotiate with Hunter then!"

"No way! I don't want my hand bitten off!"

"Then what else do you expect me to do?!"

* * *

"It was just ..."

Oliver paused and Diggle watched his brow furl, indicating the other man's confusion.

Hunter trotted up to him, ball firmly caught between his teeth. The dog waited for his human to acknowledge his return - it was playtime, and Hunter fully expected Oliver to wrestle the ball from him before tossing it again for him to give chase. When Oliver continued to be lost in his thoughts, the Husky mix turned and glared at him. Diggle shook his head, letting the dog know that Oliver's lack of presence in the moment was not on him. Hunter dropped the ball from his mouth, looking put out and annoyed as much a dog could, and took a scratch at Oliver's ankles, gently attempting to bring him back to reality.

"Ouch!" Oliver hissed, jumping back slightly from Hunter. The dog huffed his displeasure at him and Oliver flushed. "Sorry, bud," he apologized, leaning down to give the service dog a vigorous rub with one hand while he scooped up the ball with another.

For his part, Hunter gave a playful nip to Oliver's fingers before licking them, letting the human know he was forgiven. Oliver stood, bouncing the ball a few times and Hunter's gaze followed it excitedly. For a moment, Diggle thought Hunter was going to leap and steal ball, but his charge was quick and before the pup could make his move, Oliver sent the object sailing. Hunter gave a merry yip before tearing off after it.

"Whatever you're trying to say, you better get it done before Hunter gets back. You know he doesn't like being second fiddle during playtime."

Oliver chuckled, "No, he doesn't," before the emotion that Hunter had dissipated clouded his eyes again. "It just seemed like Felicity and Tommy were fighting. I know I couldn’t really hear much of it since I was in the next room, but they were both raising their voices and they both sounded… irritated. Tommy especially."

Diggle bit back a snort. As much as he liked Oliver, he could be down right clueless at times, and to save them all a little frustration he decided he needed to fill his friend in. "He probably was," he told him. "Felicity horned in on Tommy's day after all."

"His day?" Oliver asked, eyebrows rising.

"His Oliver day," Diggle confirmed with nod. When Oliver just blinked at him, he added as way of explanation: "Think of it like a custody agreement."

"What?" the younger man growled. There was a hint of bafflement to his tone to go with the obvious annoyance.

Diggle knew better than to laugh, but it was hard not to - Oliver was absolutely clueless. A pretty sad sight to see, given his vigilante status. "You can't really be shocked that people who care about you - not just Tommy and Felicity, but Thea too - want to spend time with you. Nor should it surprise you that Hunter isn't exactly open to sharing."

As if to highlight this point, the dog raced back up to Oliver, ball in his mouth, and danced playfully in front of him.

"Play with him before he gets the idea that I'm distracting you again," Diggle ordered quickly, causing Oliver's eyes to narrow, but when Hunter butted his leg he quickly complied. The archer knew better than to zone out on the dog again and that was a small blessing as far as Diggle was concerned.

Whilst Oliver wrestled for the ball, he muttered under his breath about how ridiculous the idea of a custody agreement between his dog, family, friend and girlfriend for his time was and Diggle could not stop himself from chuckling. Once Oliver finally got the ball away from Hunter, he immediately threw it from his hunched position, but instead of giving chase the pup eyed his human, giving him a small growl of reprimand before butting his head into Oliver's chest. To further declare that Oliver Queen was his, Hunter licked his chin before giving Diggle a quick side-eye. Satisfied that his message had been received he gave chase to the ball.

"Yeah, completely ridiculous," Diggle deadpanned.

“He’s just protective,” Oliver offered, giving him one last smile before jogging away in pursuit of the dog, finally giving Hunter his full attention, to the dog’s delight. Diggle wrinkled his nose when the Husky mix raised his tail with a triumphant, smug expression at him.

“We really need to sort out an official custody agreement,” he murmured to himself under his breath. “Otherwise that dog is going to get all of Oliver’s time.” Pulling out his cell phone, he selected the contact he wanted to call and waited for them to pick up. “Ah, Tommy! Listen, we need to set up a meeting at the Queen mansion. Can you organize it? Just everybody currently going to war over how much time your best friend spends with them. Thanks. See you there.”

* * *

"ORDER at the dining table!"

The room gradually quieted, and Diggle looked around at the occupants of the Queen’s dining table patiently, standing at the head with his hands clasped. He had a massive whiteboard placed behind him on a stand, with a timetable for Monday to Sunday drawn up, with two slots under each day. He wielded his marker pen like a sword, and the cleaning cloth in his other hand like a whip. Tommy, Thea, Felicity and Hunter were all sitting in their respective chairs, staring at the bodyguard expectantly. Thea and Tommy were on one side of the table, Diggle having decided that separating Felicity and Tommy was a good idea, since they had apparently argued quite recently. It was the first time Hunter had been allowed to sit upon one of the dining table chairs, so the Husky-Shepherd mix was enjoying it a lot, panting with his ears perked and whiskers twitching curiously.

"Thank you," Diggle nodded. "Does everybody have their beverages?"

Everybody nodded, their fingers brushing against the glasses sitting in front of them. They all had wine, apart from Hunter, who had his water bowl placed in front of him. Thea’s idea.

"Alright then," the bodyguard said. "Let the custody negotiation of Oliver Jonas Queen begin." He pointed towards the white board. "This is Oliver's timetable. Days have been broken into two slots, 9am to 2pm, and 2pm to 6pm. We are now going to delegate time slots between us." Taking the marker, he added Hunter's name to every single time slot.

Tommy protested immediately, "Why does Hunter get Oliver every slot?"

"Because it is a medical requirement for Hunter to be with Oliver," Diggle replied. "Alright. Felicity, since you are the girlfriend, you get to pick your slots first."

Thea and Tommy immediately began shouting in protest furiously. Diggle silenced them with a scathing look.

Felicity shifted in her seat, frowning at the timetable. "Okay, well, Oliver and I have standing dates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he usually stays around mine at the weekends. So please can I take Slot 2 on Tuesday, Slot 2 on Thursday and Slots 1 and 2 on both Saturday and Sunday."

Thinking this over, Diggle eventually nodded. He wrote it down, adding, "Since I am Oliver's bodyguard, I have to accompany him from Mondays to Fridays. Therefore, with the exception of Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 2, I get both slots on the weekdays."

"That's not fair!" Thea yelled. "You, Hunter and Felicity are taking up most of his time!"

Diggle pointed his marker at her, saying sternly, "Thea, I will negate Oliver hours from you if you shout again."

She sulked, but quieted down. "Okay, please can I have Monday 2 and Wednesday 1 and 2 then?"

"I wanted Wednesday 2!" Tommy whined.

"Suck it up, Merlyn," Thea hissed.

"Children, children," Diggle chided. "No need for fighting." Hunter barked his agreement, tilting his head and his ears flopping with him, making both of them crack smiles. "That is better. Tommy, what slots do you want?"

"All of Friday, please," the young Merlyn said quickly. "And - Felicity, could I please have Saturday 1?"

Felicity narrowed her eyes. "We can share."

"Fine," Tommy allowed.

"What's going on?"

Everybody froze. Hunter immediately jumped down and hid under the table, near Felicity's feet, whining as he realized he had been caught breaking one of the rules of his living in the mansion. Walter and Moira were both standing in the doorway, looking utterly confused at what was going on. Diggle tried to step in front of the whiteboard, but Walter had already walked forwards and pulled it into view, examining it closely with a strange kind of fascination and bewilderment.

"Somebody please explain," Moira said, a frown marring her brow as she crossed her eyes.

"It's a custody agreement," was all Thea offered, her voice small.

"Of who?" Walter asked.

"Of Oliver," Felicity admitted. "We're having to determine hours we get to spend time with him, since there's such fierce competition nowadays."

Moira and Walter shared an unreadable look. Everybody squirmed awkwardly, waiting for the fall out. Hunter whimpered nervously under the table.

Walter raised an eyebrow, and took the marker pen from Diggle's hand. "We want Thursday Slot 1."

* * *

“Mom,” Oliver’s voice carried down long and immaculate first floor hallway, “Have you seen—”

Stepping into the dining room, where Raisa had informed him she’d seen his mother and Walter enter, he came to an abrupt stop. He felt both mystified and terrified by the collection of people in the room. Not that Oliver didn’t love—care, he quickly corrected himself, his heartbeat picking up at the notion of loving Felicity. The emotion he felt for the quirky blonde babbler went far beyond anything he’d felt in any of his previous relationships, but Oliver was hesitant to put a label on it. Love came with certain expectations, ones he’d failed at miserably in the past, which was something he was determined not do with Felicity; whom he more than liked.

She sat in the dining room with his family and Tommy, and who he’d be looking for – his service dog, Hunter. The dog sat tongue lolling and headed titled in his own chair around the table, with Felicity on one side and Walter on the other. His mother sat next to Walter, their hands clasped on the table. On the other side, with their backs to him, were Thea and Tommy. Diggle stood at the head of table in front of a white board, a weekly schedule broken out with time slots sectioned off with names in various locations.

The not so quiet murmuring he heard as he approached the room had ceased, leaving them all in an awkward silence. Sensing his discomfort, Hunter gave Felicity’s side a quick brush before he jumped from the chair and padded quickly over to him. The Husky-Shepherd mix ran his side against his left a leg a few times before settling at his side with a chipper bark.

The comforting heat of Hunter’s frame eased some of his tension, but Oliver could not stop himself from rubbing his index finger against his thumb on his right hand as he eyed the schedule on the board with distaste. Apparently Diggle had not been kidding him at the dog park the other day and his family had actually convened a meeting to determine custody of him. If he wasn’t so thoroughly annoyed, Oliver may have been touched.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Felicity said, breaking the uncomfortable quiet of the room.

“You mean you’re not dividing up my time between yourselves?” Oliver asked, his voice flat. Felicity winced slightly at his reply and Hunter let out a short, low whine clearly not liking the discord in the room.

Felicity opened her mouth as if to say something, but stopped herself a few times, releasing unintelligible sounds as she tried to find a way to explain that they were in fact doing that. Her blue eyes continued to get wider behind her frames as she failed to find the words she wanted – a first for her, as Felicity tended to have too many words and really, her confounded expression would have adorable, if the highhanded attempt at controlling his life didn’t irk him so much.

“What your oddly speechless girlfriend is trying to say, is that the old schedule isn’t working anymore, so we’re renegotiating,” Tommy informed him, as he shifted in the chair to face him. His friend’s normally genial face was subdued.

Oliver felt his fists clench and Hunter rubbed his head against his calf. “MY time,” he said, through gritted teeth.

The collected faces had the decency to look sheepish, save for Thea who returned his glare with one of her own. “We wouldn’t need to make a schedule among ourselves if you ever asked anyone but Felicity to spend time with you.”

“Thea,” their mother chided.

She turned swiftly towards their mother. “What? It’s true,” she insisted, her tone and the stiff set of her body indicating how upset she was. “Ollie either just shows up at random or I ask him to do something. Not once,” Thea said reproachfully, her eyes clouded with anger and hurt when she turned back to him, “Since you’ve been home, have you asked to send time with me.”

“That—” Oliver started to protest, but paused when Felicity quickly shook her head. He frowned and swiftly went back over his interactions with his sister since that first night at the hospital. Oliver’s shoulders began to slump as he realized the truth of his sister’s words. He had never asked. Not once.

His hands had gone lax during his rumination and during that time, Hunter balanced himself on his hind legs, stretching out his body and resting his front paws against his leg to lick at his fingers. It was not a comforting gesture he felt worthy of, so Oliver took a step back from the pup. Hunter bristled the action and when he moved to close the distance, Oliver put more between them causing the Husky mix to growl him. Startled by the sound being directed at him, Oliver froze and stared wide-eyed at Hunter. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear the dog was giving him a long-suffering look of exasperation. Hunter huffed again, before coming to once again rest against the side of left leg.

Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He roughly ran his hands over his face before opening them again to meet the collective concerned looks of his family and friends. He chafed slightly under their gazes, but pressed on because they needed the words just as much as he needed to say them.

“You’re right, Thea, and I’m sorry.”

Hunter’s tail thumped then in what felt like a sign of approval. Her face softened at the words, but Oliver could still see apprehension in her green eyes. This was not something he could fix with a simple apology. It would take time and him consistently showing his sister that she wasn’t the only one invested in their relationship.

“I want to spend time with you,” he said earnestly. “All of you,” Oliver continued, taking a moment to make eye contact with each person in the room. “I know I need to do better, and I will. But this…” Oliver gestured towards the schedule on the board. “This is ridiculous and has already caused problems.”

The knowing look he shot Tommy and Felicity had the duo looking guilty. Felicity mouthed a ‘Sorry,’ to Tommy and based on the shy smile she shot him, Oliver figured his friend had returned the apology. Witnessing that had warmth flooding through him. Hunter yipped his own appreciation at the accord before tugging on his pant leg to bring him closer to the table.

“How about a compromise?” he suggested, once Hunter was satisfied that he was near enough. “We’ll plan out the next week together and go from there without a set schedule.”

“I was really hoping for Wednesdays afternoons though,” Thea said, with a pout.

Oliver was about to object, when he remembered all the Wednesdays they spent at the park, riding the carousel together until they were dizzy and depending on the weather, either went for ice cream or hot cocoa after. It was a tradition they had not partaken in since his return, namely because Oliver wanted to steer clear of the crowds, but the memories of their time together there made him want to try, at least once.

“Me, you, and the carousel, this Wednesday, Speedy.”

“Really?” she squealed, clapping her hands happily.

Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder and clasped it gently. “Really,” he promised. 

Thea brought her hands up to his on her shoulder and squeezed, delight lighting her face. Although he didn’t want to dampen her happiness, he had to be truthful and let her know that their trip might not go as previous ones had. Much to his relief, Thea understood his concern and from there, he made arrangements with Tommy, Diggle, his mother and Walter, and of course, Felicity.

By the time they came to the end of making plans, Oliver was sitting next to Felicity with Hunter lying over his feet. Diggle was closing out their unofficial meeting when Hunter let loose a howl and jumped up on his lap. The pup began batting a paw at his chest.

“Hunter,” he scolded, trying to get him to settle.

“Wait!” Felicity exclaimed. “We forgot dog park visits.” Hunter yipped and nudged his head against her arm in gratitude.

“He always has to get the last word in,” Tommy grumbled, causing Felicity and Thea to giggle and Oliver to huff in disbelief, but Hunter proved Tommy correct when he sent an annoyed little growl in his best friend’s direction.

Tommy shot him a pointed look and Oliver released a low laugh at their antics.

“So we’re done,” Diggle announced with a smile, folding down the whiteboard. “We’ll see how this arrangement goes, and adjust it accordingly. At least there won’t be any competition for time with Oliver, anymore. So less arguments.”

“That is an upside,” Tommy admitted. “But, before we leave –“ He raised his hand. “All in favour of Moira and Walter making us their signature strawberry and blueberry pancakes, say aye!”

A chorus of excited, “Aye!”s shouted throughout the room.

Moira shot him a fond yet exasperated look, sighing with a smile. “We’ll see what we can whip up.”

* * *

At first, the custody agreement seemed to work spectacularly. It didn't need to be said that first, Oliver was rather wary of the arrangement and how it was going to work. But after a week of it, and spending various amounts time with people, his friends and family were all happy. Hunter seemed content enough to share his human with them in this way, and he was getting to see Felicity, Tommy and Thea more equally, and even spend some more time with Diggle and his parents, so he couldn't really see a downside to it. Yet.

But the thing was - the custody agreement didn't factor in Hood hours. It ran his schedule from 9am to 6pm, but didn't consider the fact that Oliver was running around the rooftops of Starling for most nights, putting the fear of God into the criminal elite and cleaning up his city... and consequentially, not sleeping. The result of all this? Oliver was tired. Almost constantly. He'd been able to deal with the plaguing exhaustion before because he wasn't required to get up every morning at 9am. But now the custody agreement existed - Oliver's schedule was pretty much set. From 9am to 6pm, he was never alone. He was going to lunch and watching movies with Thea, or hanging with Tommy, Hunter or Diggle at the park, or taking Felicity out for dinner on a date, or having brunch and shopping with his mother and stepfather. Constant socialisation and being out and about tired him out.

His mental health was getting worse, whether he knew it or not. His ever present exhaustion made it more difficult to deal with his anxiety when it came to social situations, and his struggling when it came to those situations just made him more and more tired, and then afterwards, when all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep for sixteen years, he was handed off to his next friend or family member to go through the exact same thing all over again.

Everything came to a head on a Saturday morning, after getting back to Felicity's apartment at 4am and lying in bed restlessly for the rest of the morning, his mind tearing itself apart and feeling more low than he had in months.

"Felicity," he murmured, slightly curled up underneath the blankets and hating himself for doing this, because he was an awful selfish human being and he didn't deserve her. "I don't want to go out today."

Felicity was getting dressed, humming happily under her breath, and didn't seem to acknowledge his statement. "We're meeting Moira and Walter for breakfast and then we're going out with Diggle, Thea and Tommy to the dog park with Hunter, so let's -"

"Felicity," he interrupted, curling up even tighter and tears springing to his eyes uncontrollably. God, he was so weak. He was so pathetic. He conveyed every ounce of desperation and defeat he could into her name, hugging his arms to his chest.

Felicity looked at him then. Really looked at him. Her gaze grew concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I can't go out today."

"What are you talking about? We're meeting your family later -"

"No, I can't -" he shuddered, heaving a sob. "I don't want to. I really don't want to. Please don't make me."

Felicity seemed to realise then how severe this was, and how distressed he was, because she immediately called Hunter in from where he was eating his breakfast in the living room. His service dog instantly leapt up beside Oliver and pressed into his chest, rumbling softly and soothingly, tickling his master's chin with his whiskers. The archer clutched onto Hunter's fur desperately. He just felt completely awful. He didn't want to move, he didn't want to do anything.

And yet, because of the custody agreement, he knew that he had to get up, and be passed between his family and friends yet again and be dragged into social situations which were going to cause him to break down even more than he already had.

"It's okay," Felicity whispered, climbing back into bed beside him and hugging his back to her chest, running her hands up and down his arms comfortingly, pressing kisses to the crown of his head. "We don't have to go anywhere."

"But the - the custody agreement - I - I have to -"

"Oh shit. No, Oliver, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, sweetheart. Of course you don't." Felicity's voice wobbled slightly due to her upset and Hunter whined, rubbing his furry head under Oliver's chin. She sounded hurt as she reassured, "I would never make you do anything, Hun. Is that how you've been feeling lately? Like because of the custody agreement you can't say no?"

"You and Tommy and Thea and everybody wants to spend time with me and I can't let you all down," he said, voice breaking. "But I'm so tired and I can't sleep and there's so much you all want me to do and places you want me to go with you and I can't - I really just can't, Felicity, I'm sorry..."

"Oh god. You really didn't want to do this," Felicity whispered. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. It's okay, baby, we'll just stay at home today with Hunter, you don't have to do anything."

"But the brunch and then the dog park -"

"You don't have to go. If you don't want to, you don't have to, Oliver. Your well being is much more important than us spending time with you, and I can't believe we fought over that and didn't realise how the increased social interaction would tire you out and - god, Oliver, of course you don't have to. I'm so, so sorry that you thought you did."

* * *

After Oliver settled, falling into a fitful sleep, Felicity eased away from her boyfriend, silently cursing herself and the others for not realizing the strain they were putting on him. Oliver had learned to tolerate pain, to push through it, so she knew it had to be bad - really, really bad - for him to express that he couldn't go. Her heart ached for him, for what he put himself through for them, and over the guilt he felt for letting them down, when it had been them who had failed him. They had been too caught up in their own bubble of happiness, having Oliver back and getting to spend time with him, to see the toll it was taking.

She should have though. Felicity, like Diggle, knew there was more to Oliver's life than how he spent his days. His nights were often long and dangerous; she herself was often tired from their work at the Foundry, but she enjoyed daily interaction with others. It rejuvenated her, whereas it was the opposite for Oliver. Yes, he wanted to be with the people who mattered to him, but the issues he dealt with: his PTSD, anxiety, hyper vigilance, and depression, made what was easy and natural for them, emotionally and physically difficult for him.

They should have been more cognizant of that, her especially... Felicity had done research, her curiosity leading her to read everything she could find, but she hadn't counted on how good Oliver was at wearing masks, or that there would be one she wouldn't be able to see beyond. Felicity would not allow that to happen again, nor would she let Oliver get to his breaking point.

What followed over the next hour or so was a flurry of text messages; a barrage of caps lock, exclamation points and Thea's creative use of emojis. More than once Tommy had remarked that her Loud Voice hurt his ears, even via text. The brevity that teasing brought to the exchanges helped them to muddle their way through the feelings of hurt, disappointment, guilt, and concern.

In the end, it was agreed that the schedule was cancelled for the next few days; whatever and whomever Oliver needed to get his balance back would be offered. When Oliver was more himself, they would talk to him together, to let him know that whilst they would always want to spend time with him, he was not obligated to be with them if he needed downtime. Thea, Felicity knew, would insist that this did not give him license to play hermit and revert back to remote ways. He would have to keep trying, and if he did make plans that, on the day, he realised were too much for him, she expected him to acknowledge and share that instead pushing himself. That would mean so more than him showing up out of obligation, she had written. Felicity understood the sentiment all too well, and although she thought it might be hard for Oliver to do, in the end it would be healthier. Not just for him, but them all, for their relationships. They had to communicate as honestly as they could - big green secret aside - for Oliver's wellbeing and for themselves.

Hunter shuffled into her tiny kitchen and gave a little whine, breaking Felicity from her thoughts, as he went back to his breakfast. She could hear the shower running and knew the Husky mix was taking a chance to finish his meal before going back on duty. Not wanting to over stimulate Oliver with caffeine, Felicity turned on her electric kettle so she could brew Oliver a cup of his horrible island herb tea. The smell was offensive but its curative qualities could not be discounted.

"We'll get through this," she told Hunter. The pup paused his eating and tilted his head up to give her a meaningful look before huffing in agreement.

Felicity was just pouring the foul smelling island tea into Oliver's favourite mug when their bedroom door opened. Oliver appeared, freshly showered but his shoulders drawn in and tensed, his entire body stiffened due to his held in anxiety. He kept his head ducked and eyes averted as he knotted his fingers together worriedly. Hunter immediately raced towards the archer, although he slowed for the last few steps and approached him at a calmer pace, recognising the need for quiet around his anxious master. Oliver was dressed in loose fitting jogging pants and a t-shirt, and Hunter gently took a hold of one of her boyfriend's pant legs and tugged him over to the couch.

Felicity pressed the mug of island tea into his trembling hands before sinking down beside him on the cushions, hesitantly touching his knee. Relieved that his touch sensitivity wasn't playing up, she quickly put some Brooklyn 99 episodes on the TV before grabbing a blanket and snuggling up to his side. Hunter jumped up onto the couch and spread himself over their laps, his head and forepaws resting on Oliver whilst his hindquarters were on Felicity's thighs. Lying across them, the pup gave a soft whine and nuzzled into Oliver's stomach.

"The custody agreement has been nulled for the next four days," Felicity told him quietly. "You don't have to go out at all, or do anything you don't want to." She paused, before saying gently, "Oliver, you know that if things ever become too much, and you get overwhelmed, you can just ask to be alone and not go out. You really shouldn't feel like you have to push yourself for us. We do love spending time with you, but your mental health is our priority."

"I just... really don't want to disappoint any of you," Oliver murmured, turning his head so he was resting his forehead on her shoulder.

Felicity sighed, running her hand through his hair. "We just want you to talk to us, sweetheart." Shaking her head, she added, "Let's not talk about it now, let's just rest today, okay?"

He nodded as she stroked along his stubble, lying on her shoulder as he slowly sipped his tea whilst focusing on the episode. Within an hour or so, Oliver's eyelids were fluttering shut and his breathing was evening out. He was dipping off into a somewhat restful sleep as Felicity continued to run her fingers through his short hair soothingly. Hunter rumbled gently as the blonde very carefully extracted herself from Oliver's grasp to stand and stretch, and the pup scooted closer to the archer, licking his wrists and checking him over.

A soft knock on the door startled Felicity from her musings just as the third episode of B-99, drawing her eyes away from Oliver sleeping on the couch. Hunter's head shot up and he gave a growl as his ears pricked forwards, but it was quiet enough that it didn't wake up his master.

Felicity opened the door to find Diggle, Tommy and Thea all standing outside, looking extremely concerned.

"We just wanted to check on him," Oliver's little sister explained swiftly, shifting nervously. She looked very awkward and hunched over, obviously unsure of how they were going to be received. "Please can we just see him for a minute or two? We just..."

"We feel guilty," Tommy mumbled. "We know we've put him under a lot of pressure lately to spend more and more time out in public with us, and that he's hardly had any personal time, and we just..."

"It's okay," Felicity reassured them. "You can come in, but he's sleeping. I'm not sure how he'll react to you all when he wakes up though. He really doesn't want to see anybody or do anything today." She shook her head, admitting, "He's been very withdrawn and tired. I think everything has worn on him a lot more than he's been letting on."

"I don't know what else we expected - it's Oliver, he's the master of hiding his emotions," Diggle grumbled, concernedly trying to peer over Felicity's shoulder.

Sighing, she examined their worried expressions, and finally gave in. The three of them obviously cared about Oliver a lot, and they felt horrible about the mental breakdown they had triggered due to their custody agreement. "You can't overwhelm him," Felicity warned, finally letting them inside. "Don't wake him up. Hunter might kill you if you do."

"We won't," Tommy reassured. “We won’t stay for long, Thea and I need to get to Queen Consolidated to meet Walter.” He laid a hand on Felicity's shoulder, saying gratefully, "Thank you for looking after him."

“My pleasure,” the blonde replied with a fond smile. “Anybody want coffee?”

There was no reply, but that was mostly because her three friends were gazing down silently with sad expressions at Oliver, curled up on the couch. Hunter raised his head and bared his canines with a quiet growl, ears flicking back against his skull. When none of them spoke aloud or made any loud noises, however, the dog huffed in a satisfied matter and dropped back down to nuzzle at his master affectionately.

“He looks awful,” Diggle muttered.

“I did say he was tired,” Felicity reminded them softly, heading over into the kitchen to begin brewing coffee. “I’ll make you guys up some take out coffees for the road.”

“Thank you,” Thea responded quietly. Very cautiously, she brushed her fingers over her brother’s arm, sighing when Oliver didn’t shift or move at the touch. “Are you sure he’s going to be okay?”

“He just needs a lot of rest,” Felicity replied, trying to offer some reassurance. “And a few days recovering.”

“Have you told him about –“

“Us all discussing his issues and revising the schedule?” Her eyebrows quirked upwards. “Very briefly before he drifted off to sleep. He seems fine with it.”

“It’s going to be difficult for him,” Tommy murmured, striding over to the kitchen to help Felicity pour the coffee into the disposable cups.

“And that’s why we need to be there for him,” Felicity said.

“We’re always going to be there for him,” Thea mumbled. “Whether he likes it or not. Whether he _knows_ it or not.”

“Good luck trying to get him to understand and accept that, though,” Diggle grumbled. “That man’s the most stubborn person on the planet.”

“Pushing through that instinct of his to go it alone and remaining closed off is going to be difficult, but I believe with our help, and with Hunter by his side, Oliver can manage it,” Felicity told them all firmly, lifting her chin. “After all, what emotional support could possibly be better than friends, family, and man’s best friend?”

* * *

Smart. Good. Loyal.

These were some of first things he'd come to understand from Ben, after learning that his name was Hunter. Watching Oliver pace, grumbling under his breath, Hunter briefly missed the simplicity of life with Ben. Learning to understand the two-legged creatures that populated so much of his world had been a fun challenge, and his training told him that Oliver needed him. As exasperating as his human could be, Hunter loved Oliver and liked helping him, even if he could be difficult.

He gave a whine in hopes of distracting Oliver from his current agitated state, but his ginormous companion ignored him. Hunter bristled at that. Oliver disregarding him made his job harder; he couldn't help his friend if he wouldn't let him.

Hunter did a quick perusal of their surroundings; they were back in large structure where he'd first met his charge. Although he enjoyed having space, there was something about this place Hunter didn't really like - the space they shared with Felicity, and the damp, dark room he spent his evenings in whilst Oliver was out in his green costume felt more like home. In those places, doors were not closed to him and there were not caretakers following after them to straighten the area they'd just left.

Hunter let out a grumble when he realized Felicity was not in sight, although he could smell traces of her on Oliver. Of all those who claimed Oliver's attention, she was the best at helping him soothe his human. Diggle was pretty good too, but his method of working out Oliver's anxiety and pent up energy often involved sticks that they did not throw for him and grappling and hitting that left them winded and sore.

Pain was something Hunter understood. He'd been injured badly performing a different type of service, far from where he called home now. Ben had seen to his recovery, but there were still days where his muscles ached. Exercise helped, the running and jumping he did with Oliver outside of the special park for his fellow canines he approved of, but the strange workouts he could not participate in at their late night hangout confounded him. Felicity too, he suspected, as she often stopped to stare at Oliver when he climbed the strange fish ladder. Tired of been ignored, Hunter ambled over into the path Oliver kept wearing in the room they shared when here.

When Oliver tripped over him, his human scowled and scolded him by hissing out his name, "Hunter!"

He barked back defensively, letting Oliver know that he'd tried the polite way to get his attention. It wasn't his fault that hadn't worked. His human's face contorted into a frown in response. They continued to stare at each other for a few minutes before Oliver threw up his hands in frustration.

"I can't win with you, can I?" he grumbled as he sat on the edge of the bed. Hunter huffed in reply, ears twitching, and Oliver let out a low huffing laugh. "Of course not."

He licked his canines, ears perking as he grumbled, letting Oliver know that he was forgiven for being difficult, before closing the distance between them. Hunter bounded up onto the mattress next to Oliver and pawed at his thigh. Oliver’s hand came up to cup his jaw and he scratched behind his ear absentmindedly.

"It's not a big deal. It's just a conversation." Oliver repeated the words Felicity said a few times on the drive over. The dog knew from listening to them earlier in the morning that all the people who interrupted their time together were going to be there.

Hunter liked Oliver's humans --even if Thea could be pushy, Tommy overly gregarious, and Moira aloof - but there had been times when they had set Oliver on edge and hadn't realized it. They also hadn't learned to read the cues he sent them as well as Felicity, Diggle and Walter had. His job was Oliver, who needed full-time dedication, and Hunter didn't have time to train his human humans.

Try as he might, Hunter couldn't ease Oliver’s tension and when the door to their room opened, he let out a low snarl. The scent of Walter hit his nose just before the man peered past the door calling, "Oliver."

Hunter tucked his tail between his legs guiltily for having jumped at the interruption. Oliver noticed and scratched down scruff in a way that always delightfully distracted Hunter, but his distempered noise had not been loud enough to reach Walter's ears. The funny accented human as he'd first distinguished him smiled kindly and did not breach the room any further, his intrinsic grasp of the situation had Hunter barking a happy greeting in return and his tail began to wag again even though Oliver had stilled.

"Tommy just arrived," Walter informed him. "And Felicity is finishing up Herman's emergency support call."

Hunter perked up at Felicity's name, expecting to see her, but when she didn't appear, he looked back at Oliver expectantly. His blue eyes conveyed the same longing for the blonde, but that longing disappeared, quickly becoming overshadowed by his earlier apprehension. Hunter nudged his side, trying to ground Oliver and chase away his discomfort. His human's hair was like a bird’s nest from having torn his fingers through it whilst he had paced the room, muttering to himself. There was a hint of panic in eyes that battled with the hard line of determination across his brow. It was an expression he had been wearing a lot lately, one Hunter did not like, and that had happily been missing the last four days.

He looked back sharply at Walter, a low growl sounding for making that look more pronounced on Oliver's face. Walter flashed a sympathetic glance at him, but did not retreat.

"Just a conversation," Oliver whispered, rubbing his head as he stood.

Hunter nipped gently at his fingers, expressing that staying here on the bed with him was more than all right by him. Oliver's lips turned up slightly as he signaled Hunter to follow. The dog glanced over at Walter, who stepped back to give them room, and then back at Oliver. Humans were complicated, Hunter reminded himself. He shrugged, before gracefully hopping off the bed to land at Oliver's side. He kept his body close, brushing up against his human in show of support as they walked the halls with Walter.

* * *

His family and friends were waiting, sitting in the living room as Oliver entered, wringing his hands nervously. Instead of going completely still and freezing in panic when he was faced with the confrontation ahead, Oliver exhaled forcefully, calming his mind as much as he could. Pressing into his legs, Hunter gave a soothing rumble, nudging his knees with his head. Oliver nodded to himself and then to Walter, who was looking at him concernedly from the side. He was ready. With Hunter at his side, he knew that he could do this.

"Hey, Oliver," Felicity said, giving him a small and encouraging smile. When the archer forced a grin her way, that more came out as a grimace, she reached her hand out for him, patting the cushions next to her.

He started forwards to sit next to her, relieved that his girlfriend was showing such support to him, but before he could take his seat, Hunter gave a sharp bark of happiness and jumped up to take his place. Moira gave a squawk of indignation at the dog, but the pup's tail was wagging so furiously and he looked so gleeful at sitting on the couch next to his favourite person that his mother just shook her head, her mouth clicking shut.

"We need to have a conversation," he said quietly, his thumb rubbing the forefinger of his right hand nervously. He was aching for his bow, itching to nock an arrow due to his discomfort, but he knew that pushing forwards and talking would be better.

"Yes, we do," Diggle replied, crossing his arms as he stood behind the couch.

"The custody agreement," Tommy said, leveling Oliver with a serious look as the archer shoved Hunter bodily so he could take his seat. "It... well, we thought it was working." He cast a helpless look around the room at the other occupants. "But... you haven't been coping very well, have you, buddy?"

Taking a shuddering breath, Oliver admitted, "No, I haven't."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Ollie," Thea quickly commented, her eyes filled with concern. "Really, it isn't. Your mental health is always going to be the most important thing to us. You know that, right?"

Oliver exhaled, calming slightly. "I do," he promised. "I didn't even properly realise what I was feeling... until Saturday. I know I have to talk to you all more, open up. I understand that. It's just really hard at the moment for me to."

"Of course, sweetheart," Moira said sympathetically.

Walter cleared his throat gently. "If you don't mind, Oliver... we'd like you to maybe talk us through your feelings about the agreement." The encouragement in his dark eyes made the archer's shoulders slump, as he continued, "We know you were initially against it, Diggle told us that much, and your reaction when you walked in on us talking was not... overly positive. But to us, you seemed fine with it. Once it got going, you even seemed to enjoy it."

"I enjoy spending time with all of you," Oliver interjected strongly, glancing around the room. "Genuinely, I do. I love and care about you all a lot. I didn't like it that you were fighting over the time you spent with me. So at first, I was happy because you were all happy."

"But that changed," Thea added, her voice small and troubled.

He ducked his head in shame. "Yes. It did. Because you just... honestly, the schedule you made, it was just exhausting," he confessed, his voice almost a whisper. Hunter whined softly, head on his lap and licking his fingers supportively. "I really do love spending time with you all. But when it's every day, and you'll all wanting me to go shopping, or to the cinema or to the park... I may be getting better with the whole social anxiety thing, but not that much better. I still can't stand crowds and confined spaces. I still can't stand exposure to strangers. And I was going out with you all... daily. I was so tired."

"But you weren't sleeping," Felicity murmured sadly. "Not at mine -"

" - and when you were here, you just paced the hallways," Thea cut in. "Why not, Oliver? If you were tired? Please talk to us. Please... explain."

Thea could see how frustrated and perplexed her brother was as he struggled to find the words to express himself. Beside him, Hunter cuddled in closer, nudging Oliver’s knee with his nose. The touch forced him from his thoughts and Thea noticed how there was tiniest release of tension through his shoulders as he absentmindedly reached out to scratch behind Hunter’s ear. The dog panted happily up at him, causing Oliver’s face to soften, his blue eyes crinkled as a faint smile touched this face – Hunter’s good cheer rubbing off on him just a bit.

“Sleep isn’t all that restful for me,” he finally admitted. Thea observed that his gaze was on his hand, lost in Hunter’s fur. “It’s not just the …” Oliver trailed off.

She knew about her brother’s nightmares, but only because she’d overheard her mother and stepfather speaking about them. Admitting to them seemed to be a something Oliver wasn’t comfortable with, so their mother stepped in, bringing them up as a simple fact.

“The nightmares,” Moira said quietly. “It’s not just the nightmares, despite the fact that you have them almost every night. That they cause you so much pain and fear that you wake up in a cold sweat, that you scream out in your sleep.”

Although it was clearly still difficult for Oliver, he seemed to appreciate the almost business-like way she handled the topic. Before an awkward silence could fall over the group, Oliver confided, “While I was … away, I could never really let my guard down. I couldn’t relax – I had to be alert, be aware of the dangers around me. Being asleep wasn’t just a vulnerability… it was literally dangerous. I’ve been back months and sleeping more than two hours at time … it makes me anxious. I used to take short power naps throughout the day to make up for my sleeping habit, but I haven’t been able to do that since we’ve started the schedule.”

He explained it in such an open and honest way, using more words then Thea knew he was capable of stringing together at one time. Her brother had actually been verbose and it stunned her. In a good way. Everyone else seemed to be just as awed by Oliver sharing that truth, because the room fell pleasantly quiet. Clearly proud of her brother, Hunter turned his head so he could lick his hand.

Shuffling nervously on the cushions, Thea offered somewhat hesitantly, "So part of the reason that you're tired is simply because... you haven't been sleeping. I mean, two hours a night that can't be... that can't be healthy, Ollie."

Diggle shook his head from the side, speaking up solemnly, "It's not, Thea. It's a miracle your brother didn't collapse from exhaustion." She could hear the concern in her brother's bodyguard's voice, and she appreciated it - Diggle had been one of the only people who had at first rejected the idea of the custody agreement. He was probably one of the only people able to properly understand where Oliver was coming from. "The thing is, you can't just rely on having power naps throughout the day to get you through, Oliver."

Her brother kicked his feet back into the foot of the couch, his hands buried in Hunter's fur as he mumbled, "I know."

"Resting at night is vital," Walter agreed. "Son, I know this is a long shot, and you're most likely going to immediately hate this idea... but have you considered going onto sleeping aids?"

"No," Oliver instantly protested, eyes darting up to meet Walter's eyes, the desperation and fear there making Thea's heart clench. "Walter, I can't. I couldn't. I just told you, I have to be alert and aware of all the threats, taking sleeping pills that knock me out, I wouldn't - I'm not coping well even with taking the Zoloft, I wouldn't be able to -"

"Hold up," Tommy interrupted. "You're on anti-depressants?"

Oliver looked bashful and awkward as he muttered, "I thought somebody would have told you."

"I think we're getting off topic," Felicity cut in firmly, her hand gently rubbing Oliver's knee in a show of support. Hunter grunted beside them both, turning his head to briefly snuffle the blonde's hand with his whiskers, as if thanking her for bringing the conversation back around to what really mattered, before the pup wheeled back around to his master, rubbing himself up against Oliver's leg. "We're not here to have a go at Oliver for his sleeping habits, which whilst are, I admit, not ideal, but are being affected by the custody agreement. Look, obviously he is not coping. We haven't been paying as much attention to looking after Oliver mentally as we should have. We've all been focused on keeping to the schedule so we all get our Oliver-time, and he's paid for it. You guys weren't there that morning when he broke down on me. I was honestly afraid he was suicidal."

Hunter whined, his head settling to rest on his master's lap as a full body shudder passed through her brother. Thea swallowed, the thought of Oliver even trying to harm himself causing a pain within her chest. She remembered that conversation she and her brother had had, all those months ago, when she had first found out about Hunter, when he'd been explaining his mental issues to her. He had told her that he'd considered self-harm and suicide before. That he'd attempted suicide before, and failed. To think that her family and friends, and herself, had pushed him to that tipping point, was heart-wrenching.

"We need to scrap the schedule," Felicity said strongly, glaring at Tommy when he opened his mouth to raise a protest. "Completely scrap it. We tried it, Oliver didn't cope with it, so we leave it in the dust. If we make a new one, we do it with Oliver's consent, Oliver's input and with his health and lifestyle in mind."

"I agree," Diggle nodded.

Moira and Walter exchanged glances. "Us too," the Queen matriarch said softly.

"And me," Thea crossed her arms. "As long as we do consider shortening the day length for Ollie so he can get some rest in."

Hunter gleefully barked his consent, tail wagging as he leapt up to slaver Oliver's face with kissed, huffing and his whiskers ticking her brother's face as he laughed softly, a small smile on his lips. Looking around at everybody, Thea grinned, happiness blossoming in her chest as the entire group chuckled at the dog's antics.  
Felicity ruffled Hunter's scruff affectionately.

Standing, she announced, "Alright, let the re-negotiation of the custody agreement begin."

* * *

Making certain that her son’s days would not be so jam-packed that he ran himself ragged again, Moira sought to curtail any pouting – namely from Thea and Tommy – about the newly reduced and more flexible schedule. She had strategically and magnanimously seen that concessions were made, namely that instead of a particular day and time and every day filled with activities, it was agreed that Oliver would have either have a lunch or dinner, or some other agreed to outing, with his loved ones. Be it alone time or shared, which had earned some grousing - mainly from Tommy, who was not used to sharing his best friend – they rewrote the entire schedule, allowing things to work for everyone’s timetable, instead of them all rearranging their time around when they were calendared to be with Oliver.

Moira should have acknowledged how unrealistic the previous custody arrangement had been on that fact alone, but she had been so thrilled about having dedicated time with her son again that she had ignored the warning signs she’d seen. She would not allow that to happen again. It was her duty to protect her children and, although an adult, after everything Oliver had been through, he more than most needed safeguarding. It warmed her heart to know that everyone in the room felt the same and would be more vigilant with her son’s mental health moving forward.

Oliver had been engaged and much more vocal about how things should work this time, assuring Moira that this time, they were on the right track. Still, after an hour conversation, she could see her son’s need for a break

“Oliver, I do believe Hunter could use some exercise before lunch.”

His blue eyes warmed at her suggestion with obvious gratitude. “What do you say, buddy?” Oliver asked, scratching under Hunter’s chin. The husky-mix yipped a happy affirmative. “Thought so,” he chuckled lightly. “How do you feel about some company?”

The pup jumped to his feet, his tail wagging excitedly.

“I think that’s a yes,” Thea said merrily. Oliver whispered to the dog that he was off duty and he immediately hopped off the couch and bounded over to her daughter.

She let out a jubilant giggle as Hunter pawed at her feet. Thea gave him a quick rub before pushing herself up. “Come on, Merlyn,” she ordered, pulling Tommy to his feet, Hunter on her heels as they joined Oliver and Felicity.

“Don’t worry,” Moira heard Thea tease. “We’ll get Oliver to learn how to fetch yet, Hunter.” There was a burst of woofs that softened the sounds of Oliver’s grumbling and Tommy’s chortling as the group left the room under the watchful eye of Mr. Diggle.

“That’s a lovely sight,” Walter remarked, rubbing her hand with affection.

“Yes, it is,” she replied, as she got to her feet so she could walk to the window to take in the sight of her children out in the yard together, playing with Hunter and enjoying each others company.

“I’m very proud of you by the way,” he said joining her. Leave it to her husband to perceive her subtle maneuvers for what they were and to appreciate them. Walter wrapped an arm around her waist and Moira rested her head against his shoulder. Together they stood, watching all of the people they held most dear, have a simple yet meaningful moment of connection. Moira saw each moment as a building block that she was certain would help her beautiful boy get closer to truly being home and with them again.

Oliver Queen had arrived back in Starling City several months ago, but very slowly, being nurtured with care and compassion… he was coming home.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave kudos and comment :)
> 
> Alexia's Tumblr: @alexiablackbriar13  
> Alexia's Twitter: @lexiblackbriar
> 
> Bushlaboo's Tumblr and Twitter: @bushlaboo


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